Neely's Bar-B-Que restaurants in Memphis close for renovations

The original Neely’s Bar-B-Que restaurant at 670 Jefferson has a sign on the front door that says “Sorry for the inconvenience, Closed for Renovation.” Owners Pat and Gina Neely suspended operations at their two restaurants and ceased their FedExForum concession in October 2012. The restaurants will remain closed indefinitely, Patrick Neely said in a statement on Facebook on July 1, 2013.

In a city renowned for its barbecue, a place boasting an annual contest that pits the world's greatest pork purveyors against one another every May, one of its iconic brands is now missing from the menu.

Neely's Bar-B-Que – a Memphis tradition for nearly a quarter-century and a name recognized well beyond the Bluff City thanks to its celebrity proprietors – is on hiatus.

That's the word from restaurant co-owner Gina Neely, who confirmed Tuesday that the company's two Memphis locations, at 670 Jefferson and 5700 Mt. Moriah, have shut down indefinitely for renovations.

The restaurants closed last Friday and no reopening date has been set.

Neely, who owns the restaurants with her husband, Patrick Neely, and stars with him in the popular television show "Down Home With the Neelys" on the Food Network, also confirmed that the company is no longer operating concessions at the FedExForum. But she emphasized that Neely's Barbecue Parlor in New York City, which the couple owns with a partnership group, just celebrated its first anniversary in July and is doing very well.

"We're not looking at this as negative, we're taking time to catch our breath, regroup and come back better than ever," Gina Neely said Tuesday morning. "We want to improve our presentation and execution, but we couldn't do that and keep the stores open, so we're closing them to make sure the renovation is done right. We think Memphis deserves the best and that's what we're going to offer."

Neely acknowledged that business has been challenging in the current economic climate and that it was a difficult decision to lay off approximately 80 employees who staffed the two restaurants and the FedExForum concessions, which included three permanent vendor stands.

Eric Granger, vice president of arena operations at FedExForum, learned last Friday that the Neelys would no longer be providing food service at the site. But barbecue nachos, chicken and pork sandwiches and other familiar items will be offered there by Levy Restaurants, which operates most of the concessions at the facility. Site management will be working to bring in a new vendor and while the personality will change, the product won't.

"This is Memphis. Of course we'll have barbecue, it's just a question of determining who'll be providing it," Granger said.

Gina Neely said that the hectic travel schedule, filming commitments and book deals that the couple are involved in have created a Catch-22 of sorts.

"We're gone so much and involved in so many projects that it's been really difficult to concentrate on the restaurants here like we need to," Neely said. "We're 100 percent committed to Memphis, but we realize that some things were not done right and weren't up to our standards."

It's unlikely that the Mt. Moriah location will reopen as a restaurant, Neely acknowledged, adding that the site may be converted to a catering business or to redeveloped to house shipping operations. But the Downtown location at Jefferson is set for a total makeover in hopes of taking advantage of the potential influx of diners attracted by revitalization efforts in nearby Victorian Village.

"I'm excited about all that's going on in Victorian Village and what we could do to help spur growth in the area," Neely said. "We'll definitely reopen our Jefferson location to reflect that. We know we have to change with the times."

Roby Williams, president of the Black Business Association, said the Neely brand is one of the best around.

"I understand the reorganization because their footprint is now larger than Memphis and what works elsewhere is different from what works here. Competing in the barbecue world in Memphis is overwhelming," Wiliams said. "That being said, they're a model of what makes Memphis a great city because they treat their customers like family. I'll miss them as long as they stay closed."